Please join the Association for Women in International Trade (WIIT) and the US-Qatar Business Council (USQBC) for a Middle East Business Luncheon and Networking Reception.  The event will introduce WIIT’s Africa and Middle East Program, feature the US Department of Commerce’s work in the region, and highlight the importance of developing strategic partnerships across the region and in particular with the State of Qatar as it celebrates its 50th Anniversary of diplomatic relations with the United States designation of Qatar as a “Major Non-NATO Ally” by President Joe Biden.
 
The in-person event will be held on Thursday, October 27 at the Hub (1615 L Street, NW). Lunch will be served.
 
Featured Speakers and Moderators include:
 

• Camile Richardson, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Middle East and Africa, International Trade Administration, US Commerce Department
• Jasmin Silva Navarro, Co-Chair, Africa and the Middle East, Association for Women in International Trade (WIIT)
• Fahad Al Dosari, Commercial Attaché, Embassy of the State of Qatar 
• Hon. Scott Taylor, President, US-Qatar Business Council 

The recently launched Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) promised to deliver game-changing projects to close the infrastructure gap in developing countries, strengthen the global economy and supply chains, and advance U.S. national security. Together with G7 partners, the U.S. will mobilize $600 billion by 2027 in global infrastructure investments. This will only be the beginning as G7 countries will seek to mobilize additional capital from multilateral banks to sovereign wealth funds.
 
Is PGII G7’s answer to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)? Join us for an insightful discussion with Gabriela Castillo Madrid, Orit Frenkel and Elizabeth Losos. We will cover some of the benefits and challenges of BRI, where private sector funds have effectively been channeled and where gaps remain, and how the new G7 initiative will play a role in infrastructure development in the region.

Speakers:

• Gabriela Castillo Madrid, Director of the Office of Industry Engagement at U.S. Department of Commerce
• Dr. Orit Frenkel, CEO, American Leadership Initiative
• Elizabeth Losos, Senior Fellow, Nicholas Institute

Moderator: Charlotte Serage, Manager of Global Engagement, World Trade Center Utah

Please note the new date for the WIIT event “How to Effectively Serve on a Charity Board.” This event will now be held on November 17^th.

The Professional Development Committee presents:
 
How to Effectively Serve on a Charity Board – A conversation with Barbara Linney on how to effectively serve on a charity board.
 
We will discuss how charity board service fits in with broader career development, what experience is required, and Barbara’s takeaways and lessons learned from her time on charity boards- including her time with WIIT as a small and growing organization. Please join us for what will be a fascinating and useful conversation. 

Speaker - Barbara D. Linney, Partner, BakerHostetler

Moderator - Rosalind J. Reischer, Associate Director, APCO

WIIT Secretary and President-Elect Orisia Gammell is now the Chief Legal Counsel & Head of Export Control Innovation Team at SAP. Bravo, Orisia!

Last week, WIIT’s Agriculture, Energy, and Environment Section hosted an event on the future of energy through natural gas. Thank you to the panelists, moderators, and attendees for a great discussion on how domestic and international policy around energy – in particular the natural gas space – has evolved and the potential implications for the future of trade of energy and food!
 
Panelists:

• Joshua Volz, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Africa, Middle East, Europe & Eurasia, US Department of Energy
• Dr. Dagmara Koska, Deputy Head of Section Global Issues and Innovation and Counsellor for Energy and Climate at the Delegation of the European Union to the United States
• Leslie Palti-Guzman, Co-founder and CEO of Gas Vista, Senior Associate (Non-Resident), Energy Security and Climate Change Program

 
Moderators:

• Cassandra Kuball, Co-Chair of WIIT’s Agriculture, Energy, and Environment Section
• Soozhana Choi, Co-Chair of WIIT’s Agriculture, Energy, and Environment Section